


A Soothing Song

by sugxrwfflez



Category: Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Light Angst, Someone revive this dead fandom, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:54:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22802122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugxrwfflez/pseuds/sugxrwfflez
Summary: Darc is too stubborn to ever admit to being upset about something. Lilia does the one thing she can think of to make him feel better.
Relationships: Darc/Lilia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	A Soothing Song

**Author's Note:**

> Recently found out a video game that I've grown up playing has a practically nonexistant fandom and I've decided to throw my hat into the ring and throw a few stories into it because why not?

The crisp air of the night seemed to be completely still as they walked quietly under the pale moonlight of Cragh Island. Darc seemed to be convinced that if they were going to find the cave of truth that it had to be here and truthfully, considering everything that had happened in the last few hours Lilia didn’t feel particularly inclined to argue with him. 

He was dead silent as they walked, and if it wasn’t for the subtle clinking sound of his armor, she might not even notice he was there. She couldn’t blame him.

Nonetheless he seemed to have regained his tough exterior since they left Yewbell, but the aggressive and usually rather bitter demeanor she’d come to associate with him was all but gone at this point. Maybe a little bit temperamental, but he hadn’t snapped at her for anything since saving her. She wondered if maybe that meant he was finally warming up to her. 

It didn’t really matter though, because he was quietly brooding. She didn't know much about deimos, but her time spent being locked down there taught her all that she needed to know about the level of emotional expression that he was probably dealing with here. If she could hazard a guess she’d say that chances are he’s never cried in front of anybody before, let alone a human. Deimos viewed it as a sign of weakness. 

But now they were on a shore, and the sound of the waves crashing was almost enough to distract her from her concern. Almost. She glanced over in Darc’s direction, watching him look around for a minute before turning to her. “We should camp here for the night, and we can continue on that path when the sun is up. I’m not so sure it’s a great idea to be traversing into a jungle in the dark, when we have no idea what kind of monsters there could be here.”

Whether or not that was an excuse or legitimate worry on his part didn’t much matter to Lilia, considering she wasn’t feeling very inclined to follow him into said dark jungle this late at night anyway. Maybe the path would lead them to the Cave of Truth, but she didn’t believe their journey would be that simple. 

She made quick work of setting out her bed roll, watching Darc build a small yet surprisingly effective fire for them. She offered him some food, the bread she always carried in her bag for circumstances like this, but he declined. And even though she hadn’t seen him eat anything since he found her, she didn’t feel like now was really the time to be pressuring him about it. She couldn’t exactly blame him for not having much of an appetite all things considered. 

But now he was sitting there, staring off and even if it was dead silent Lilia really couldn’t seem to sleep. Sure, Darc was never a particularly talkative person, but he didn’t usually ignore her like this. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since they left Yewbell...she could probably guess the reason for that. She would have been content to leave him be if he didn’t look so miserable, and after nearly 15 minutes of looking at his downcast expression she sat up, and walked over to where he was sitting. 

He made no sort of indication that he’d noticed her, but he was always so observant that she knew he had. When she sat down less than a foot away from him on the soft sand, she couldn’t tell by the look on his face if it had irritated him at all. They stared out at the ocean in silence, the wind blew gently against her face. It was such a peaceful scenario that it was almost comical to her. After the way today had gone she hadn’t expected to be in such a position. 

Even with the light of the campfire a few feet away from them, the area was relatively dark. So much so that it gave them a pretty good view of the sky above, and the hundreds of stars that covered the sky. Lilia couldn’t remember a time she’d seen so many in one place before. But it was pretty either way so it didn’t matter much to her. 

But her gaze did not remain towards the sky for very long. Within a few seconds she was looking over at Darc. After all this time she still could not read him. 

“What?” He grouched, his eyes still fixed on the ocean in front of them. His voice sounded more hoarse than usual. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen someone look so worn out, a part of her was afraid to know how long it might have been since he’s actually slept. But if she had to guess she’d say it’s been at least a day or two. 

“Oh..nothing...I just thought you might like some company is all.” 

He sighed audibly, turning his head to look at her. “What makes you think that?”

“Well.. Maybe I thought you would be in the mood to talk. A lot has happened today.” The frown on his face was unmistakable, even from the corner of her eye. 

“What exactly is there to talk about? I think everything is rather clear, is it not?” 

“I wasn’t referring to her..” She said looking up at him. 

“Kharg-....” The name sounded so weird coming out of his mouth, maybe because even he himself felt uncomfortable saying it. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him look so conflicted with something before. 

“You were right, He’s….my brother..” 

“Yes.”

“Is he…like me?” 

She was quiet as she thought for a moment about how she wanted to phrase this. “In some ways..but his personality is also really different than yours. Outwardly at least, his personality is pretty much the polar opposite of yours. But he is a warrior, and very skilled with a sword like you. He’s the leader of the Defense Corps of Nidellia, and he wants to defeat Darkham as much as you do.” 

“No I mean-'' There was an almost pleading look in Darc’s eyes. “Does he... _ look like me?”  _ She thought he looked almost...desperate?

“Not really no..” She said, tone as disappointed to say as he looked. “Kharg looks no less human than I do, and he sees himself as such.”

She couldn’t tell if the look in Darc’s eyes was one of disappointment, bitterness, or genuine sadness. All she did know was that the idea clearly upset him. “I was told we were twins so I thought...maybe…” 

“I’m sorry..” Lilia said sadly, he heaved a sigh and turned away from her again. “Darc..please. Tell me there’s something I could do to make you feel better.”

“It’s my fault.” He said suddenly, so suddenly that for a minute it hadn’t even registered. 

“What do you mean?”

Darc did not reply immediately, instead clawing at his birthmark again in a way she was all too familiar with. 

“She’s dead now...and it’s my fault. I didn’t kill that human and because of that..” 

“Oh Darc…” She said quietly, her heart heavy. 

“I hated her...I  _ still hate her. _ ..She burdened me with this life. Every single day of it I have wished...I wished I never..” He turned away suddenly and covered his face with his human hand. And she was pretty sure that if she touched him that she’d feel a slight tremble. She thought she could cry, listening to him speak about himself in such a way. But it wasn’t like she couldn’t understand. When one is hated simply for existing, it makes sense that they probably would wish they didn’t.

Almost on impulse she stood up and walked over to her bedroll again to dig out the one thing she thought might comfort him. Her ortena had made her feel better on nights like this when she was out, scared and alone with no one to comfort her. She thought that if it could calm her down when all hope seemed lost, that it may be able to comfort him too. Even if he might never admit it. 

She sat down beside him and sighed. “I originally thought this might be a bad idea, seeing as we aren’t trying to attract any unwanted attention right now. But we’ve been talking pretty loud and nothing has come out so it should be fine.” Darc made no indication that he’d even heard her, but she continued anyway. 

Lifting the instrument up to the crook of her arm, she reached out to graze her fingers against its strings. She played a song she remembered from her childhood, one her mother had taught her. It really was unfortunate she never learned the words, but the tune would always be in the back of her mind. 

She half expected Darc to yell at her and tell her to put it away, because playing something so loud couldn’t possibly be a good idea when they have no idea what could be lurking in the jungle behind them. But he didn’t, if anything he seemed to enjoy it. At least as much as that stupid pride of his would allow him to. 

From her peripherals she noticed how he visibly relaxed against the rock behind them and by the time she had finished playing his breathing had slowed so significantly that she was pretty sure he’d fallen asleep. 

With a small smile on her face she placed her beloved instrument to her side and rested her head against Darc’s arm. And as she drifted off into sleep she listened to the sound of the wind and the waves crashing down a few feet away from them. 


End file.
